Howard County Senators to Support Same-Sex Marriage

The Maryland Senate is scheduled to vote Thursday on a bill to legalize same-sex marriage--a measure that narrowly passed in the House of Delegates last week, with votes split 72-67.

Three senators from Howard County have stated that they plan to vote for the bill’s passage.

Sens. James Robey (D-Howard) and Allan Kittleman (R-Howard/Carroll) are co-sponsors of the legislation.

An aide to Sen. Ed Kasemeyer (D-Howard/Baltimore) confirmed via email that he planned to support the bill as well.

However, constituents at a hearing Tuesday evening were not unanimously supportive.

An Elkridge man asked the senators, on religious grounds, to vote against the Civil Marriage Protection Act.

“We now defend and do so vigorously the Catholic church’s view of traditional marriage between one man and one woman,” said O.P. Ditch of Elkridge, speaking on behalf of the Ellicott City chapter of the Catholic War Veterans of Maryland. “We ask the senators to also reconsider.”

The Civil Marriage Protection Act would change marriage from an institution "between a man and a woman" to one between "two individuals who are not otherwise prohibited from marrying," according to the bill.

In the state of Maryland, being related to someone—e.g., grandmother, grandfather, brother, sister, father, mother, etc.—precludes marriage.

"The institution of marriage was created by God himself," said Lisa Hernandez, another opponent of the bill, citing a passage in Genesis. "Legislators have no right to change the definition of marriage. That should not even be on the table, not in any state, not on any level of government.

"Get us some jobs, balance the budget, lower the taxes, stop the over-regulation of small businesses," continued Hernandez. "[This bill] should be the last thing you should waste your time on. As we all know, we cannot legislate morality."

On the other side of the issue was Byron Macfarlane, Register of Wills for Howard County and a Woodstock resident.

Despite having prepared testimony, he spoke extemporaneously because "literally a few hours before the hearing," he said, a friend called and came out to him as a fellow gay man.

The same-sex marriage bill's passage in the House was the catalyst, according to Macfarlane. "It was a signal to him that this is OK and finally in this state, he will have the same rights," said Macfarlane in an interview with Patch.

"I wish I could convey to you the relief and happiness I heard in his voice," said Macfarlane during the hearing. "I share this story because this issue gets drowned in rhetoric, ideology and confusing an issue of civil rights with religious freedom when this is an issue about people’s lives.”

Macfarlane, who is the first openly gay elected official in Howard County, said he was tesifying on behalf of relatives in Ellicott City and Catonsville, as well as “countless constituents."

Several citizens mentioned their support for the bill before testifying on other issues.

Alice Giles, co-president of the Howard County League of Women Voters, testified on behalf of another woman who was pro-Civil Marriage Protection Act.

Paul Lemle, president of the Howard County Education Association, noted his support for same-sex marriage before outlining his opposition to the teacher pension shift.

Ken Stevens of Columbia also supported the Civil Marriage Protection Act, one of many items on what he called his "wish list" for the delegation.

"The hardest item right now is the marriage equality bill, and I'm glad to see that is making good progress," said Stevens, whose later testimony focused on tax reform.

As for same-sex marriage, continued Stevens: "The war on discrimination must be fought and won."